In a communication network it is often desirable to provide conference circuits service whereby a plurality of customers who are geographically separated can all simultaneously receive communication signals generated by one of the conferees. On such conference arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,251 issued to K. R. Stanley et al. In this arrangement a telephone number for accessing a conference bridge is given to the conferees and a separate number is given to a host conferee who controls the conference call. Each of the conferees can be attached to the conference bridge by dialing or keying the appropriate number.
While such arrangements are suitable for audio conferences in which audio signals from several conferees may be meaningfully combined for dissemination to all conferees, they are less suitable for conferences in which data or video signals generated by one conferee are to be transmitted to the other conferees. The arrangements are also unsuitable for use with customer stations which generate video or data signals outside the telephone audio band that cannot be readily switched through local switching systems. A problem of the prior art therefore is that no satisfactory arrangement exists for providing dialed, using a rotary dial or keys, one-way broadcast arrangements, especially for transmitters and receivers using signals outside the telephone audio band.